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Lightning Bolt "Hypermagic Mountain"
Two Brians, one drum kit, one busted contact mic, one bass, and a wholelot of amplified wattage—with these five components Lightning Bolthave managed to carve out a sizeable niche for themselves in theAmerican noise rock scene. And while it would seem that the result ofthat equation would grow tiresome after awhile, just the opposite istrue.
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On Hypermagic Mountain, the Providence duo dive enthusiastically intonoisy and loud as hell passages of transcendental sludge. Some may rolltheir eyes, but goddamn it if the Bolt don’t know how to make somethingso simple into something so bracing. The word “violent” gets bandiedabout quite a bit when talking about Lighting Bolt, something I’venever understood. Sure, their obnoxiously loud mixture of battereddrums, warped vocals, and unstoppable bass is imposing, evenintimidating, but whereas other groups would have manipulated thesecomponents into a frightening package, Lightning Bolt’s enthusiasm andyouthful sense of bewilderment is betrayed from the get-go, from thecandy-colored cover to the absurdist song titles.
Opener “2 Morro MorroLand” sounds like bassist Brian Gibson just learned the intro to VanHalen’s “Eruption” and the group batters and twists the song until itruns out of breath. The riff makes a second appearance on “BizzaroZarro Land,” where the band sounds like two metal soloists facing offin a fight to the death. Elsewhere, the bands blend of bass and drumpyrotechnics gels seamlessly on the bracing pyschedelia of “DeadCowboy,” a song that finds the drummer Brian Chippendale taking aim atthe cowboy president before making a beeline for space.
While LightningBolt hardly peddle in what many would consider accessible, HypermagicMountain finds the band offering their most approachable set of songsto date. Hell, Gibson even plays what some would consider a prettynormal (albeit distorted beyond all recognition) bass pattern on thepropulsive “Captain Caveman.” In the past, I’ve often describedLightning Bolt as a pissed off fifty foot robot, but when I think aboutit now, a big kid who just plays a bit too rough seems far moreappropriate. I doubt Lightning Bolt are trying break into a biggeraudience, but Hypermagic Mountain certainly makes a case for theopposite. Like the band's intensely communal live shows (hey, who’ssweating on me now?), Hypermagic Mountain will leave you battered,bruised and desperate for more.
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